The Barnes & Noble Review
An imaginative and restless mouse wonders about places to sleep in this soft, darling picture book from Mary Morgan.
Little Mouse usually sleeps peacefully in his grass bed, with soothing bedtime wishes from Mama and a goodnight kiss. But when he has trouble one night, he wonders if he might sleep better with other animals, such as in a bird's nest "Up high in the trees with a breeze to rock me to sleep," with a family of bats "All stretched out straight from my toes to my nose," or even in a kangaroo's pouch so that "[w]herever we'd roam, I'd still be at home." Thinking again, Little Mouse realizes that none of his options would work out, and eventually, the tuckered critter gets "too sleepy to think anymore. I will think of somewhere else to sleep tomorrow."
A smaller-sized book that will rest perfectly on any child's nightstand, Morgan's sweet read reminds that there's no place like home. The author's dreamy illustrations of Little Mouse asleep with other animals will tug at the heartstrings and teach how other animals snooze, and by the soothing end, little ones will be curled up snugly, like a mouse close to its mama. Matt Warner
Morgan (the Rosie mouse books) makes a virtue of familiarity in this cozy, handily undersize bedtime book. Little Mouse usually enjoys being tucked up in his bed, but now he wants a change. Perhaps he could sleep in a nest, like a bird? His mother encourages his fantasy, then refers to his waking up to a "delicious worm breakfast." Naturally, worms do not appeal to Little Mouse, who next proposes joining a "pile of puppies" (Mama disarms him by telling him how handsome he will look in a collar). Various other animal resting places come up for discussion before Little Mouse declares himself "too sleepy to think anymore" and falls asleep, in his "very own soft, grassy bed." Morgan supplies full-bleed watercolors of the diminutive hero, who is anthropomorphized enough to have a childlike expressiveness (and to clutch his own tiny mouse doll), in each scenario he imagines (e.g., nestled among the hatchlings under a mother bird's wing). Smaller pictures show Mama's wet-blanket version (the mother bird proffers a worm to downcast Little Mouse), and spot illustrations depict Mama and Little Mouse in conversation. The story line offers sweetness and constancy in place of surprises; kids will enjoy its reassuring predictability as well as the tender, gentle humor of the art. Ages 3-6. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-One night before bedtime, Little Mouse just cannot relax, so he tells his mother that he would like to try sleeping the way other baby animals do: maybe in a bird's nest, or with puppies, or in a kangaroo's pouch, etc. As she subtly discourages his ideas, he realizes that he does not like worms or wearing a collar, and would definitely not appreciate being bounced around. But mostly, he would miss his mother, if he stayed all winter with the polar bears. Large illustrations across spreads beautifully depict Little Mouse's ideas for his new sleeping arrangements: under a full moon that lights up the birds' midnight-blue sky, surrounded by puppies in warm hues of brown and gold, pressed against winter white polar bears, his mouse doll ever in tow. Little ones will enjoy hearing this story as a gentle nap or bedtime tale or as a delightful introduction to animals and their babies.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
In this diminutive charmer, a restless mouseling tells his mama that he’d rather sleep in a bird’s nest, in a pile of puppies, a kangaroo’s pouch, with bats in a cave, or with a polar bear mama. His own mama, unperturbed, offers canny objections--" ‘Yummy,’ said Mama, ‘a delicious worm breakfast’ "--for a while, but soon the little mouse is coming up with difficulties on his own, and eventually reaches the foreordained conclusion that his own grassy bed is best. Morgan gives the mouse child a tiny plush mouse toy, but he himself looks round and plush, as does his mama, and most of the gently smiling creatures his imagination conjures up. Aside from the misleading suggestion that polar bears hibernate, this cozy alternative to Kate Banks’s Spider Spider (1996), Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny (1942), and similar parent/child dialogues is a good choice for bedtime sharing with any pajama-clad mousekin. (Picture book. 4-6)
"This cozy alternative to Kate Banks’s Spider Spider (1996), Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny (1942), and similar parent/child dialogues is a good choice for bedtime sharing with any pajama-clad mousekin." —Kirkus
"Little ones will enjoy hearing this story as a gentle nap or bedtime tale or as a delightful introduction to animals and their babies." —School Library Journal
